You’ve operated on a patient and prescribed them the appropriate treatment, yet their ailment shows no sign of improving. Perhaps it’s the anti-biotics; maybe the human body is no longer capable of recuperating, or maybe just maybe, it’s the British health care system which is failing them. With more and more Brits seeking treatment in foreign countries than ever before, we’ve taken a closer look at the subject, posing the question whether patients should opt for rehabilitation abroad.

The Planning

Every British person that travels abroad to Europe has to renew e111, their Euro Health Insurance Card (EHIC), to prove that they are citizens of a European country when they do eventually seek medical treatment.

Patients should have thoroughly researched the programme they intend on enlisting for. They will also need to find out as much as possible about the respective country’s health service, considering obstacles like the language barrier, whether the country has a good line of communication to the NHS and how to seek damages if something were to go wrong. [Read more…]

Are you relaxing on Loom and Leaf Mattress and thinking what to do? The perfect activity for everybody is learning English. Nowadays English is the most important language in the world and not to know it is a real shame. English is used everywhere: in business, travels, science, the Internet, education, and others. This language connects people and helps them to obtain knowledge and useful information from big sources. [Read more…]

Steven Green

Glade Run Lutheran Services (Glade Run) recently announced the newest addition to its impressive continuum of services for individuals with autism and other neuro-diversities. The Glades, a two-year residential offering for young adults ages 18 and over, is a structured transitional life development academy that prepares participants for successful and permanent independence.

Program participants utilize the Learn4Independence two-year curriculum developed by First Place in Arizona. These 32 semester-length courses are taught on site at Butler County Community College. A highly structured, supportive, and connected environment reinforces and builds on crucial independent living and vocational skills. Participants have the opportunity to apply daily instruction in the community, in independent living classrooms, and within their residence at Matthew Hall, the program’s Zelienople based and autism-friendly transitional housing.

By Lyndsey Lord, MBA, BSN, RN

The summer months are coming to end, school is beginning… which means the flu season is looming and providers must find better tactics to help prevent its spread.

While it may feel strange to talk about the flu while it is still warm in much of the country, this is the most important time of the year to start thinking about protecting those most vulnerable to the flu – especially our children. According to the CDC, this past flu season resulted in 172 pediatric deaths from the flu; approximately 80% of these deaths were children who had not been vaccinated.

Germs are everywhere – in the grocery store, at playgrounds, and all over our children’s schools. We teach our children appropriate hand hygiene, but they are still learning, and often not masters at disinfecting themselves. This simply reinforces that all children must be vaccinated and safe from the flu.

Many parents will schedule well-child visits at the end of summer break or the beginning of the school year. This is a perfect time for providers to begin educating patients and parents on the upcoming flu season. Even if the vaccine is not yet available, providers should be discussing the importance of timely vaccinations and providing information on where and when the patient can receive the flu shot. [Read more…]

By Geert Cauwenbergh, Dr.Med.Sc.

It’s no mystery why oncologists are eager for an improved array of therapeutic options. Certain important targets that are considered crucial to advance the state of care, such as RAS family members and various transcription factors, are considered so far “undruggable” using small molecules. At the same time, there is a growing recognition that in the era of personalized medicine, more flexible strategies are required to address the specific needs of individual cancer patients. As it turns out, one exciting area that could have the power and flexibility to address these challenges is immuno-oncology. RNA interference can be used to further improve immuno-oncology and expand approaches as well as to develop therapeutics for “undruggable” targets.   

One of the key benefits of immuno-oncology is the ability to modify a patient’s immune cells in ways that can make those cells more capable of fighting and killing cancer cells. In the laboratory, specific checkpoints on the surfaces of immune cells removed from the body can be modified, traditionally using antibodies, to sharpen their attack before being reinfused into the patient. But there’s a hitch: there are separate classes of checkpoints on cell surfaces, each of which can require modification. Multiple antibodies can be used simultaneously to modify these various checkpoint types, but this approach is not only costly and technically challenging but also harbors potentially harmful side effects. The ability to address different classes of checkpoints without putting the patients in harm’s way is one of the goals of oncology research today. [Read more…]

These two forms of surgery have for the longest time been confused:  cosmetic and reconstructive surgery. While to some they are self-explanatory and they couldn’t be more different, others just can’t seem to tell them apart. Matter of fact, a few procedures have been classified as cosmetic while it is clear that they fall under the former category, unfortunately leaving them out of the scope of the ordinary medical cover.

What is Cosmetic Surgery?

As a Cosmetic Consultant in Canada will tell you, cosmetic surgery is concerned with enhancing a patient’s appearance. It concerns itself with improving esthetics and symmetry, and so no cosmetic surgery is meant to alter how a part of your body works. It only makes it more appealing. Cosmetic surgery is not usually necessary – in that it is not a matter of life and death but it does improve one’s self esteem. Procedures include breast augmentation, facial contouring, body contouring, and facial rejuvenation.

Surgeries that are not necessarily vital for a patient to stay in good health are called elective, and they are not usually an emergency. They can be scheduled to be performed at the patient’s convenience unlike non-elective surgeries that are usually an emergency. [Read more…]

By Jeffrey Whitman, M.D., Key-Whitman Eye Center

While our vision brings us joys year-round, summer in Texas is a special time to take in the sights. Whether it’s gazing up at the stars in Big Bend National Park or marveling at the architecture in Galveston’s Strand Historic District, your eyes allow you to take in life’s many pleasure.

But in Texas, eye disease is a particular problem. According to the Texas Department of Health Services, 18% of Texans have an eye disease. Due to the increase in America’s aging population, the impact of diabetes, hypertension, and tobacco use, eye disease and vision loss are on the rise in the Lone Star State.

Common vision loss ailments include macular degeneration. Symptoms for this disease may include a dark area in the center of your vision and the gradual loss of the ability to see objects clearly. Another leading cause of vision loss is glaucoma, which causes progressive degeneration of the optic nerve and again, leads to loss of vision.

Cataracts remain the most common cause of blindness, especially for older individuals, although this condition can be easily corrected. Finally, there are complications from diabetes known as diabetic retinopathy which doesn’t necessarily produce symptoms and can result in damage to the blood vessels in the retina. The best defense is early, and regular, vision screenings, particularly if you suffer from diabetes. [Read more…]

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf recently vetoed a bill which sought to limit the type and amount of prescription drugs workers could access. Senate Bill 936 essentially gave employers greater discretion in terms of medications. Its aim was supposed to curtail prescription medication abuse, yet as noted by Wolf, “ Make no mistake, Senate Bill 936 is not a bill designed to fight the opioid crisis. It is wrong to sacrifice health care for our first responders to protect the bottom-line for insurance companies and corporations.”

What did Senate Bill 936 require?

Senate Bill 936 called for a drastic law to compensation law in Pennsylvania. It sought to establish a pre-approved list of prescription medications for every injured employee. In other words, if a doctor prescribed a specific drug that was not present in the list, insurance companies could effectively overrule what doctors deem fit. According to The Morning Call, “This legislation is a less-than-candid effort by health insurers and large employers to cut costs at the expense of injured workers.” [Read more…]